Sea Hamburger (Hamburger Bean / Bull's Eye Sea Bean)
Mucuna sloanei (also Mucuna urens) • Fabaceae (Legume family)
🌱 Seed Category
Legume / Vine / Drift Seed
🌍 Origin Region
Native to tropical regions of the Americas and West Africa; commonly drifts via ocean currents onto Gulf of Mexico beaches such as Jamaica Beach, Texas.
📅 Days to Maturity
Vines grow rapidly in a single season; flowers and seed pods typically develop within 1 to 2 years under ideal tropical conditions.
🌡️ Hardiness Zones
USDA Zones 10 through 12 as a perennial; can be grown as an annual container vine in cooler zones (Zones 8-9). Sensitive to frost.
About This Seed
Large, thick, disk-shaped seed with reddish-brown to tan sides surrounded by a dark blackish equatorial hilum band, strongly resembling a miniature hamburger. The mature plant is a vigorous, high-climbing tropical woody vine (liana) producing pendulous clusters of showy yellow-orange pea-like flowers followed by hairy pods.
Growing Information
Growing Season
Spring through warm summer months in frost-free or warm temperate climates.
Germination
Germination takes 2 to 6 weeks. Requires scarification (nicking or filing through the extremely tough outer seed coat) and soaking in warm water for 24 hours prior to planting. Optimal soil temperature is 75°F to 85°F (24°C-29°C).
Planting Instructions
Plant 1 to 2 inches deep in well-draining soil mix. Space plants at least 6 to 10 feet apart near a sturdy trellis or fence to support heavy vine growth. Prefers sandy to loamy soil with a neutral to slightly acidic pH (6.0-7.0).
Sunlight & Water Needs
Requires full sun to partial shade. Prefers consistent moisture, warm temperatures, and high humidity, though mature established vines demonstrate moderate drought tolerance.
Companion Plants
Grows well alongside supportive structural tropical species and climbing vines; avoid planting close to delicate garden crops that could be smothered by its vigorous growth.
Special Characteristics
Highly buoyant drift seed capable of floating thousands of miles across oceans; seed pods feature irritating stinging hairs; produces nectar-rich flowers that attract pollinators.
Notes
Jamaica beach Texas